Site of the Longzhou Iron Bridge Battle

Site of the Longzhou Iron Bridge Battle

The Site of the Longzhou Iron Bridge Battle is a classic destination on China’s red tourism trail.

In the 2nd year of the Republic of China (1913), prominent military and political figures in Longzhou, including Lu Rongting, Tan Haoming, and Lin Futian, jointly decided to build the Longzhou Iron Bridge. The bridge was constructed under the management of Wei Muhua (an overseas Chinese), the owner of the Huali Company at the time, and designed by Chinese engineer Huang Ying. The entire construction took two years and was completed in the 4th year of the Republic of China. The bridge is 123 meters long, 3.8 meters wide, and 26 meters high. It was the only bridge connecting the northern and southern parts of Longzhou County during the Republican era and also the earliest highway iron bridge in Guangxi. On March 20, 1930, troops of the Guangxi Clique launched a surprise attack on Longzhou. Yu Zuoyu led soldiers of the Red Eighth Army in fierce combat against the enemy. Due to the overwhelming disparity in forces, to cover the retreat of the army headquarters and main forces, more than 400 soldiers of the Red Eighth Army held their ground at the Longzhou Iron Bridge and engaged in a tragic defensive battle. They eliminated over 800 enemy troops, but more than 400 Red Eighth Army soldiers sacrificed their lives heroically. In July 1940 (the 29th year of the Republic of China), on the eve of the second Japanese invasion from Nanning to Longzhou, the Nationalist army blew up the iron bridge under the pretext of blocking the Japanese advance.

To honor history, remember the past, and inspire future generations, in 2009, Longzhou County restored the site of the Iron Bridge Battle as part of the red tourism development plan. The project mainly involved expanding the site area, building a small leisure plaza, reconstructing the broken sections of the bridge, and reinforcing the riverbanks. The work was completed in late January 2010.